Friday, June 30, 2017

Muhammad Rasheed - Notices that the celebrated "moves like Jagger" are those of a hopping, wiggling, prancing dandy. This was worthy of a whole song? Curious.

Call me when you manage to find the moves like James Brown, crazy.

Riley Freeman - There's far too many dances these days where men feel comfortable shaking, bending, twisting, and tip toeing like females. This that bullshit.

Aminah Armour - did you forget that we had eras/history of dance where men were shaking, bending, twisting and tip toeing?

Riley Freeman - I would not equate routines by Gregory Hines or Sandman Sims with someone "hitting the Quan". Even with those dances, which were part of routines, the men did not look like high school girls when dancing. It's not even a close comparison.

Jeremy Travis - Y'all just now getting that song over there or something?

Muhammad Rasheed - I personally have an approximately 6 yr lag time on getting into pop music. I can't take it when it's fresh. lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Their early songs were the ones that really got me listening to my limited, over-picky music in the first place.

Muhammad Rasheed - But I guess all artists have a natural time to produce, with an inherently limited backlist folio. But already the trend in pop music is to rehash what came before instead of innovating new sound. I love Bruno, but it's only because he does a good job of capturing the era that l loved from the 80s/90s in showmanship & 'cool.' The new stuff pulled away from that altogether and I don't care for it for the most part.Muhammad Rasheed - I admire the innovators, but I love a certain sound from the past. Can't they innovate by building on certain items, and going in a direction of growth, higher from what came before in a natural progression.

I just remember feeling very disappointed in the direction pop music started to go, like I thought there would be MORE and BETTER of what I grew up on. Of what did very well. Take the most celebrated and best of what came before and innovate it to the natural next level of what it would be. Can that be done in music?

Like take Billie Jean from MJ, and build it up into a grand full orchestra piece that can be played in an opera house. It retains what was cool about the original, but has become BETTER! More LUSH! More DEEP! Like a higher level pokemon (or whatever the term is for when they max out).

Muhammad Rasheed - It feels like what drives pop music isn't what ought to drive it. Like it's not following a natural path towards its ultimate form, but traveling down a path that's is unnatural and silly.

Muhammad Rasheed - I don't want my playlist to be endlessly stuck in this stagnant, "remember when?" retro loop that's growing increasingly more and more watered down as I slowly add the occasional songs from the new kids that sorta-kinda appeal to me.

Basically I'm saying I would really like to enjoy music a lot more than what I do, but I am not a musician, and I have zero control over what inspires others to create. It feels like the potential of the pop music genres was allowed to expire, and now the fully 'corporatized' music industry is just pretending to be a thing. Now it is pretending to be "art," but is actually a gaudy plastic structure with a neon "ART" sign bolted onto the front of it... wiggling & prancing... charging you money to artificially conjure the long-gone memory of something that used to try to blossom into actual greatness.

Subjective opinion my ass! Even if you aren't as extreme as I feel about it, you still know this is some dank, corporate-driven claptrap. What do you gain by pretending this stank, inbred bastard is fully clothed? Even when Dr. Boyce Watkins and Michael Eric Dyson had their 'hiphop' debate, they kept reluctantly admitting that even though they loved it, they wished it was 'different.'

I'm not talking about the message within the lyrical content (Chris Rock addresses that concept well in his "Not talkin' 'bout ME!" bit), I'm talking about the music itself... the melody, notes, cords, full arrangement stuff. All of it as a package.

Aminah Armour - have you tried different foreign artists? They tend to tap into what we grew up with, especially a lot of African artists. The different Afro Beats that are out now.Muhammad Rasheed - Hm. I'm not sure how I feel about being forced to settle for another culture's spin on my shit, when I had my own perfectly good shit that was sabotaged. lol That would just make me bitter every time I listened to it, wondering how it would have been if it was still American...

Aminah Armour - well eventually you have to also put blame on these negro producers. Most of the time these record companies and some independents use the same producers over & over. Which is good for them.. I guess. But it doesn't do anything for expanding creativity. Somewhere in the mid 2000's especially 2008 is where it hit bottom.

Muhammad Rasheed - @Aminah...Should I blame the producers? The talent isn't really driving the vision of the industry as a whole, since it's the naked billionaire owners that determine which talent gets hired and pushed forward into the distribution/consumption machine, based on whatever their corporate agenda dictates. Is some of that talent guilty of that hating on the enterprising artists trying to break free from the plantation? Sure, but it's the art-killing vision of the moneyed owners that is the root cause of the problem here.

Aminah Armour - its part of it. Like you said parts of the machine but Producers still control the sound that's being put out. I mean you have talented artist out here but look at who the producers are making the music. Since a lot of the sounds are just a hosh posh of genres mixed together. Dub, trap, whatever echo sounds to put over voices that just sound hollow with no soul.Muhammad Rasheed - Aminah wrote: "... but Producers still control the sound that's being put out."

They control it within the limited parameters that are measured out by their bosses.Muhammad Rasheed - Note that there is an awful lot of "sampling" and recycling within a carefully determined box by all of these flexible 'corporate men' producers, who are used over and over again by these studios.

Muhammad Rasheed - Although they can hardly be considered "new" any longer, I really like 'Fallen' and 'A Woman's Worth' by Alicia Keys, and 'Ordinary' by Wayne Brady. Unlike Bruno Mars' stuff – which comes across like a genuinely appreciative and admirable tribute to a by-gone era by a True Fan – those three songs sound like a reformation attempt of the music industry. Tapping into the same creative well of pure artist spirits from back-in-the-day, to me they feel like the effort to return pop music to the path that it had strayed from.

Brian Charboneau - It is not just music. Very few people learn to like anything new to them after age 35. Most people set their tastes in food, clothes, hair styles, furniture and houses when they are in their 20s or before.

How many people do you know who take up a new sport in their 40s ? And how many college educated women wear their hair all their lifeboat in exactly the same wat they wore it in there senior year in college ? And those who don’t, how many change styles as they get older to the style their mothers wore at the same age ?

That people fix their ideas about many things at a young age is a foundation idea of marketing. It is why advertising is often aimed at selling particular brands to young people - because a person who buys one brand of toothpaste will generally buy that brand for life.

Do you recall the idea that people had brand loyalty in cars - a man might be a Ford man or a Chevy man, ot maybe a GM man who bought up Alfred Sloan’’s hierarchy of GM brands as he became more prosperous. The Japanese cars were a big shock to this system.

Muhammad Rasheed - Brian wrote: “That people fix their ideas about many things at a young age is a foundation idea of marketing. It is why advertising is often aimed at selling particular brands to young people…”

Your comment may contain unintended insights into many industry practices. Perhaps the phenomenon you are pointing out in people is actually caused or deliberately exaggerated by brainwashing marketing techniques, that seek to create a quasi-artificial consumer landscape that favors corporate.

It's genuinely OFFENSIVE watching you strut about in the land pretending you aren't the Monster of Legend, in fact pretending you are the white-hatted Good Guy of history, and pretending you and your international business partners have a monopoly on God's Favor. Meanwhile, in truth, you are that very 'domestic enemy' the US citizen was warned to guard against. You are the adversary's puppet in its war against the people of God. Enjoy this brief respite that the Lord has granted you, and the illusion of your invincibility, but know you that your day is coming, there will be a reckoning, and your Bill of Karma will indeed come due.

The freedom and rights owed us as citizens of the United States of America are not free. It may seem odd, or even unfair, that something that is our rightful due – as promised by the founding fathers’ core document of our Great Republic – would still require us to ‘pony up’ in order to enjoy. It is so, but why should this be? What is it that we are required to pay?

The inalienable rights bestowed upon the U.S. citizenry are unique to the American Experiment, enjoyed by few in recorded human history. As our country is also very young, it is easy for our special rights to slip away, easy to forget that the “sovereign without citizens” is the truly free envy of the world. Yet it’s easy to take that special status for granted, and worst, easy to think it the responsibility of others to protect and maintain without any effort from ourselves. Our sense of entitlement in that regard can be our worst enemy, as it is this very self-administered toxin that enemies both foreign and [especially] domestic can take advantage. We will then find our globally-envied rights are no longer in our grasp to our confused dismay.

So what are we required to pay in order to maintain our precious and fragile patriotic credentialing? What form does this currency take? It requires our COURAGE… used as the fuel to speak truth to power, to bear arms against a diabolical enemy who somehow believes only he gets to be free, and the determined and persistent defense of what we know belongs to us.

The cost of freedom is no less than the righteous fight for truth, justice and the way of the United States American.

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jordan Smith - Why does the NBA have so little racial diversity? Is it not wrong that one race of people can dominate an entire sport?

Muhammad Rasheed - I agree. There should be WAAAYYY more diversity in the billionaire owners, the coaches, and the financiers. The "Good Ole Boys' Club" is quite tired. It's like that because that specific demographic likes to hoard wealth & power, monopolizing it for their little group alone. They treat competition from other ethnic groups and races like it's an alien disease infestation from outer space.

The lack of diversity among owners is based on economic exclusion practices and discrimination. The low diversity among the players is based on ethnic tradition trends and merit selection. The former is where the actual problems lie – soaked in racism, classism, and corporate greed – but the bad guys are all too willing to allow the passionately uninsightful to falsely believe that it's the low player diversity that needs to be corrected instead. The Federal Trade Commission needs to do a deep-dive investigation into the long-time slimy practices of the pro-sports team elite with the goal of breaking up that cartel, and free up the markets for more diverse business to share that wealth.

By contrast, fake activism that focuses only on the non-issue of player diversity will not solve the root cause of the true problem, but will in fact give the mere shallow illusion that "something is being done" about the nation's core ills. It would be the equivalent of eating cheap fast food: You'd starve to death with a full belly.

Okay, so it wasn’t REALLY Tyson that he fought, but it was close enough. You can consider the young Floyd Patterson to be a nearly identical, proto-Tyson. Both Tyson and Patterson were small for heavyweights, as well as known for being very quick for their size. Even though Tyson has the reputation for being a ‘dynamite’ knockout artist, they both had devastating KO power in either hand.

But in addition to that, they also had:

Also remember Tyson received his losses from people who weren’t intimidated by his reputation, who were willing to stand against him and could stick to the game plan for how to penetrate Cus D’Amato’s style. Ali wasn’t intimidated by any fighter, and he had zero problems solving Cus’ puzzle.

So realistically, we already know what it would look like if Mike Tyson fought Muhammad Ali.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Kristopher Michael Mosby - This is what Conor and his fans wanted. Remember when Ricky Hatton shot off his mouth at Floyd?(look at the photographers).

Muhammad Rasheed - McGregor isn't his sparring partner, and boxing is exciting precisely because anything can happen in a fight. If the 'Tale of the Tape' was a 100% reliable indicator of who will win these things, then there wouldn't be betting odds on these events. Remember, Floyd is filthy rich and well pass his prime, while McGregor is a young & hungry kid. There is REAL danger here.

Don't get cocky.

William Satterwhite - I would agree with you if this were any other boxer other than Floyd- he is arguably the best ever at making sure the anything that can happen in a fight never happens to him.Kristopher Michael Mosby - "When people ask me why I’ve released this footage now, it’s because it hurts me that there are guys like myself who have been devoted to this sport, risking our lives. And to see McGregor, who has zero knowledge of professional boxing, make it out like he could just get out of an octagon, step in the ring and beat up the best pound-for-pound fighter out there – to just make out like our lifestyle is so easy and that anybody could do it, and then for people to be saying he has a big chance of beating Floyd. I just thought, judge for yourself. Boxing is a completely different type of standup fighting to MMA, and 12 rounds is a hell of a long time. If you’ve never done it, you’re in for a rude awakening.” ~ Chris van Heerden, former IBO welterweight champion

Muhammad Rasheed - More than anything, I want Floyd to beat the crap out of McGregor the way he did Gatti, and end it with a devastating and humiliating knockout like he did Hatton. That would be an ideal outcome to me.

But realistically ANYTHING can happen. I don't want to see Anderson vs Weidman happen in there because of over-cockiness karma. van Heerden is correct technically speaking, but boxing is more than just technical. Surprises DO happen. The impossible happens all the time.

Andre Owens - Well, of course anything CAN happen. But is it probable that Floyd Mayweather, who is the best at avoiding punches, will get surprised? No.

Muhammad Rasheed - It's not probable, but no one knows the future. I just know that I'm nervous as shit. lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Let's just grab the 50-0 and stop coming out of fucking retirement!

Muhammad Rasheed - See the mob wouldn't let Marciano come out of retirement. That was the secret to his 49-0. They were more protective of it than he was.

That's how I feel about Floyd's "0."

Joseph L. Jefferson - This entire thing is a bit of a joke. McGregor needs to run his mouth to make the fight happen as his only real objective is to get paid. Floyd will make the fight happen and get paid royally as a boat load of people would love to see the big mouth black guy get put to the canvas by the big mouth white guy that oh by the way no one really seems to notice. At the end of the day, McGregor will get paid more than ever before and Floyd will cash in again. Maybe McGregor wins and then there will be a rematch. Then they all get paid again.

Muhammad Rasheed - It's not a joke, it's just a business deal. The cross-industry fans said they wanted to see it, and the players decided they wanted to give it to them. Supply & demand.Muhammad Rasheed - The marketing/promotion aspect does come across as funny, but the people already said they wanted to see it, so neither really has to take the hype too far.Joseph L. Jefferson - @Muhammad Rasheed... but does would any real "objective" observing believe that McGregor has a chance.

Muhammad Rasheed - The 'Tale of the Tape' says McGrogor doesn't have a chance at all, but the same measurement objectively said that Foreman would kill Ali in Zaire. So...

Muhammad Rasheed - Fights often don't come out the way we think they will. The 'Tale of the Tape' said that Michael Moore would retain his title over Foreman, too.

Muhammad Rasheed - The 'Tale of the Tape' didn't mention Tyson liked a side of Georgian ear with his fight meals.

Joseph L. Jefferson - @Muhammad Rasheed... Floyd is smarter than Moore. His style and defensive skill should keep him out of harms way. I really doubt that McGregor will force the issue. I don't see McGregor hitting any harder than Shane Mosely so I cannot see any real danger for Floyd.

Muhammad Rasheed - To me, the biggest danger is Floyd's age versus McGregor's age. That's where the true 'scary unknown' part lies with me.

Muhammad Rasheed - If they were both 20 somethings, or both 40 somethings, I could relax more.

Jason Villena - They (the people making money and everything Las Vegas) have learned from the mistakes and will not make this feud go more than 5 years like it did with Floyd and Manny; and maybe draw this into a 2 out of 3 feud over the next 2 years. After the lackluster prom dance fight of Manny and Floyd, the goal is to be the highest draw PPV/contest, ever. And who better to make it happen than the 2 biggest shit talkers in 2 different sports.

For maximum $$$, Floyd wins 1st meet, Connor wins 2nd meet (but with some "controversy" aka DQ or "devastating" hit to the nuts or KOs Floyd with elbow or submission move), Floyd wins the 3rd and final meet. Floyd can have the loss because he's "retired" but for sure everyone will make money while both Floyd and Connor have their physical abilities and that the hype is still there. Notice no one talks about a rematch with Floyd and Manny.

Muhammad Rasheed - The only reason it took so long for Mayweather vs Pacquiao to happen, is because Pacquiao's camp refused to believe that Floyd was the boss of his side of the deal. They treated him as "just a fighter" instead of the main principle they had to negotiate with. The fight was made when they finally wised up.

Jason Villena - Hmm. Well, it seemed like all the way from 5 years out to within a year of the finalized contract of the Floyd vs Manny fight, Manny's camp was making the concessions to make the fight happen and TMT did everything to drag their feet to delay the contest. Manny's camp got to the point of saying things like, "Whatever he wants. Let's just make the fight for the people." and Floyd still wanted more concessions. Even Floyd's friend, Stephen A. Smith on-air said, "Floyd is ducking Manny." But, it was smart on Floyd's part. Why fight someone in their prime, when you can fight it on your terms because you're the champ (and huge moneymaker for MGM and Las Vegas). After the Manny vs. Floyd fight they could have had a rematch for Mayweather's last fight to tie Marciano against a possibly healthy Manny (sans broken rotator cuff). But, Floyd and Vegas went with Beto (someone who lost his last 3 fights to fighters that lost to Floyd in previous contests) to end the career instead of a rematch against Manny. But, at that point Vegas was pretty much done with Manny as a money draw and washed their hands of him.

The point is: What's going to make maximum money for Vegas and all the people involved? UFC, Floyd, Connor and Vegas came up with this. And it may just make more $$$ than the Pacquiao vs Mayweather PPV because of hype and crossover.Muhammad Rasheed - The "seems" was only an illusion, fueled by nonsense propaganda out of the Pacquiao camp. It wasn't real.Jason Villena - Really? Look up "Floyd ducking Manny". And click on the link that has Stephen A. Smith. The same guy that is Floyd's friend and who backed him up (and was a pooh-pooher on Manny and his camp before that interview). And there are many links to go to but, Stephen A. Smith is my end all catch all.

But, there are also links where Mayweather himself gets asked specifically about facing Manny and he either ignores the question or just blows up at the person asking the question. I'm not talking about what came out of Manny or his camp. I'm specifically talking about Floyd and his reactions/words. And this is years before the fight contact got signed. But, you'll hear/remember the concessions Manny made during the Stephen A. Smith link.

Illusions...let's talk about Floyd's last fight before retiring to tie Marciano. Why didn't he want a rematch with Manny (sans broken rotator cuff)? Why go with Beto? A fighter who lost his last 3 fights to fighters that lost to Floyd. He might as well have fought Helen Keller to tie Marciano. Not really much suspense in that contest to prove who will win between Mayweather vs. Beto. But, hey, he tied the record. There's no disputing that fact.

But, I get it. Vegas wants to make a lot of guaranteed money. Hence, the unprecedented UFC/boxing crossover. And they had a favorite in Floyd. And now, who better to have a match-up than the old favorite son (Floyd) fighting with the new favorite son (Connor)? It will be interesting to see if this contest eclipses the Manny vs. Floyd contest, in regards to money being made.

Muhammad Rasheed - Yes, really. All that "ducking" talk was only ever nonsense. The people had no idea what was really going on behind the scenes (and didn't really care since biz negotiations aren't as exciting as the shit they preferred to make up), and the crap Pacquiao's promoters were saying was often discovered to be blatant lies designed to vilify Floyd and make their guy the good guy. lol I don't need to look that stuff up; l remember those annoying ass discussions happening in real time. I'm not particularly keen on reliving that era. All I care about is that when it finally DID go down, my fighter won.

The Berto fight was the last event scheduled on his 6-fight Showtime contract. It doesn't seem as diabolical and shady as you're trying to make it, considering Berto won the WBA interim welterweight title just six months before in his previous fight. But if you want to make it some kind of crazy conspiracy theory, then go ahead. Floyd didn't care about a rematch with Pacquiao because of the injured shoulder shenanigans, in which he tried to blame Floyd for his own poor performance. Floyd didn't feel his behavior was worthy of another high payday event and he snubbed him. I 100% agreed.

The fans said they want to see this 'Great White Hope' match to finally blemish Floyd's outstanding record, and the two combatants are willing to give it to them. Supply & demand... basic economics. They wouldn't do it if the dollars didn't make sense. It's just business. The strength of the celebrity alone will bring the people out, and get pay-per-view slots sold. That's all.

Jason Villena - Muhammad wrote: "The "seems" was only an illusion, fueled by nonsense propaganda out of the Pacquiao camp. It wasn't real."

And I pointed out to you a person who is not from Pacquiao's camp; who also believed Mayweather was the better fighter and was stating HIS opinion about Mayweather, despite having a personal friendship with him for years. I assure you Stephen A. Smith is a "real" respected journalist that was not part of the Pacquiao camp. But, I just wanted to show you that you stating that it was ALL nonsense propaganda from Pacquiao and company is simply just not true.

And I'm not making the fight with Berto sinister or shady. I'm just stating facts, like the Stephen A. Smith assessment clip. But, maybe it's because I believe in the transitive theory in algebra.

If a=b, and b=c, then a=c.

If Berto lost 3 fights (a=b)

And Mayweather beat those SAME 3 fighters in the past (b=c)

Berto will lose to Mayweather (a=c)

This "contest" was to get Mayweather to tie Marciano's record and a guaranteed win bet on Mayweather. I don't know of anyone betting on Berto, even when offered 100/1 odds. Because a Mayweather victory was a big win (guaranteed money) for Vegas and all involved including TMT, people who bet on Mayweather AND Mayweather gets to tie Marciano's record...so everyone wins, if you were the above mentioned. I guess I would have preferred another fighter that would have been a better challenger (at least not a fighter who lost to the same 3 fighters that the champion disposed of decisively in the past) to solidify Floyd's dominance, but then all the aforementioned could have potentially lost big time. And to come this far...that was not going to happen.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, it's business. On that, I think we can agree on. It's the 2 biggest shit talkers from 2 different sports that finally got the approval of Las Vegas to make money in this unprecedented crossover...just as long as Sin City gets its cut.

Muhammad Rasheed - lol Friendship or not, Stephen A. Smith also revealed his opinion wasn't worth the pixels it was recorded on. The "seems" never stopped being an illusion.

And yes, the sport of boxing is 99% business, 01% athleticism.

Berto won his previous two fights, which included his attaining the WBA interim welterweight title. That also made it business, because Floyd was required to fight who the accrediting bodies said he needed to fight in order to maintain the hold over his own titles. Everyone Floyd fought was of a lesser caliber than he was, so your point is moot. He had to fight somebody, so why NOT the WBA interim welterweight title holder? lol

Muhammad Rasheed - Actually, considering Berto had lost relatives during the Haitian earthquake, and the fight with Floyd provided the challenger with a career high $4 million payout, the champion may have given him that fight in order to help him personally.

Jason Villena - Ah. So, you admit that Smith was not of the Pacquiao camp AND Smith said that Floyd was ducking Manny. All the ducking propaganda didn't solely come from the Pacquiao camp.

And I'm curious, could you give me the source of where Smith "revealed his opinion wasn't worth the pixels it was recorded on."

Floyd had to fight somebody, yes. So why not a rematch with Pacquiao without the torn rotator cuff? I'm going out on a limb that the PPV money alone that would be taken in with a rematch against a healthy Pacquiao would have been a bigger draw because of the possibility of Mayweather being denied to tie Marciano's record.

And that's very benevolent for Floyd to give Berto a shot and the career high payout. However, Floyd could have given Berto $4 million dollars to help him and his family, have the rematch, beaten Manny and everyone would have made more money. Not to mention bragging rights that Floyd beat a healthy Manny and gave him the chance at a rematch, and Manny still lost.

As you stated, Boxing is 99% business. And TMT thought that going up against Berto was a better business decision than a rematch with Pacquiao. And probably a safer bet (for Vegas and TMT) to not have Floyd's goal to tie Marciano's record jeopardized. Even you stated that "Surprises do happen. The impossible happens all the time." And what a catastrophe it would have been for Floyd (and his goal to tie Marciano's record), TMT and Las Vegas, if his last fight was a defeat to a healthy Pacquiao.

But, it's a moot point. Floyd closed the chapter on Manny as soon as the decision was made public to make Berto his last fight in the attempt to tie Marciano's record.

Any and everything that sounds like "Not ALL cops! Not ALL white people!" that pretends to be 'smart' or intellectual in anyway is instantly balled up and tossed into the trash. FYI. Hyperbole is a normal and accepted part of human discourse. You need to catch up.

Sure. Any and everything you saw/read in which Smith claimed that Floyd was "ducking" anybody. That was the sound of Smith's credibility flushing down the loo.

Because Pacquiao tore his ass behaving like a spoiled child with zero integrity at the end of that fight. Why would he deserve another big payout after that performance? No. He would have lost anyway since he proved he didn't have the tools to force Floyd to fight his way. It would have been a waste of time, hence the disappointment from the confused casual fandom.

Giving Andre Berto... the boxer... a chance to put on a good show in front of the world... as a boxer... was more valuable to the challenger than just handing him the $4 mil. Potentially it could have taken him further and enabled his star to rise.

Pacquiao was healthy in that fight. The shoulder injury was a lie. He just wanted to get doped up on that bs so he could power through those shots again. Psh.

Muhammad Rasheed - (i said i was not interested in reliving that old floyd vs pacman shit, didn't i? lol)

Jason Villena - "Any and everything that sounds like "Not ALL cops! Not ALL white people!" that pretends to be 'smart' or intellectual in anyway is instantly balled up and tossed into the trash. FYI. Hyperbole is a normal and accepted part of human discourse. You need to catch up."

Woah. Woah. I'm just responding to the part you stated that it was propaganda crap from the Pacquiao camp. And I'm just stating there were other people outside of the Pacquiao camp that was saying the same thing. I just picked Smith because he also was a friend of Floyd's. But, there were quite a few people that were saying the same thing about ducking that are not as famous and not a personal friend of Mayweather. Please don't project."Sure. Any and everything you saw/read in which Smith claimed that Floyd was "ducking" anybody. That was the sound of Smith's credibility flushing down the loo."

Again, it's not just Smith. Roy Jones Jr had said it. There are regular people boxing fans that had also expressed that opinion.

"Because Pacquiao tore his ass behaving like a spoiled child with zero integrity at the end of that fight. Why would he deserve another big payout after that performance? No. He would have lost anyway since he roved he didn't have the tools to force Floyd to fight his way. It would have been a waste of time, hence the disappointment from the confused casual fandom."

And we'll never know because Floyd chose Andre over a rematch with Manny.

"Giving Andre Berto... the boxer... a chance to put on a good show in front of the world... as a boxer... was more valuable to the challenger than just handing him the $4 mil. Potentially it could have taken him further and enabled his star to rise."

Absolutely. If he beat Mayweather. Absolutely. But, the betting public confidence wasn't high in the fact that Andre lost his last 3 fights to the same 3 fighters that Floyd beat decisively...Yeah, not much suspense that Floyd was going to lose against Andre.

"Pacquiao was healthy in that fight. The shoulder injury was a lie. He just wanted to get doped u on that bs so he could power through those shots. Psh."

Ok. That takes a lot of pull to be able to make a story up about surgery on an injury that doesn't exist and sell it to/fool everyone in the medical, boxing and gossip/media community. LOL.

And yes, you put that shit back on like a jacket.

Holy crap! It's 3 in the morning! Muhammad Rasheed, as much as I've enjoyed this discussion about what could have been and what didn't happen...I'd like to get some sleep. I'm sure we will rehash this conversation when it gets closer to the Floyd vs. Connor contest. Good night.

Remember to take off the jacket before you sleep. ;)

Muhammad Rasheed - Jason Villena wrote: "Woah. Woah. I'm just responding to the part you stated that it was propaganda crap from the Pacquiao camp."

I know. Hence the "hyperbole" response. The random casual fans who were also repeating that crap weren't in Pacquiao's camp either, yes? Did you somehow believe I meant them, too? lol

Jason Villena wrote: "Roy Jones Jr had said it."

So? Was he in on the negotiations? All he knew was his own experiences, which were far less lucrative than Floyd's own from that side of the table. His opinion was colored by the same fallacy that colored that of the Pacquiao camp since he didn't know anything else, and didn't have a metric to measure Floyd's unique positioning by. Everyone assumed Floyd was just another fighter who was being handled by a gang of suits just like everybody else. Even Dana White thought that way, too, until recently. The fight was able to happen once everyone wised up. Everyone who are STILL saying Floyd was 'ducking' anybody have not yet wised up. Period.

Jason Villena wrote: "And we'll never know because Floyd chose Andre over a rematch with Manny."

If you're a student of boxing at all, you knew when watching that fight. Pacquiao revealed he wasn't in Floyd's league, just as we all really knew. "Butthurt" is a hell of a drug though. Let it go. No serious students of the sport are going on and on demanding a rematch. Manny would get peppered with shots while punching at the air in a return bout, too.

You continuing to go on and on about what the "betting public" thought/wants/thinks or what have you, lacks interest, Jason. I'm sure Floyd was well aware that Berto wouldn't be a super draw, and he was still cool with it. He finished out his Showtime contract and met his obligations. *shrug* His legacy is secure. Please note that Marciano didn't have 49 SUPER FIGHTS OF THE CENTURY!!!! in his portfolio either. lol If Manny really wanted to be in that slot then he should have acted like he wanted to be. The experts pointed out that he came into the fight without a gameplan, thinking to just go after Floyd, catch him easy, and put him away. In other words, he believed in his own hype (which was fantasy) instead of Floyd Mayweather's pound-per-pound hype (which was real).

Jason Villena wrote: "Ok. That takes a lot of pull to be able to make a story up..."

Pacquiao's camp had both the pull and the bribe money resources to pull it off. This is boxing, Jason. Grow up. He'll make a "full recovery" like your article link claimed because he wasn't damn hurt. This was just a show since his lie meant he had an undisclosed injury prior to the fight. He could either severely lose face and take back the lie, or pretend he really needed surgery. Neither Pacquiao nor his shitty camp have ever shown integrity thus far, so here we are.

Jason Villena wrote: "And yes, you put that shit back on like a jacket."

Note that it wasn't the segregation that harmed the Blacks and Chinese, but the Economic Exclusion from the free open markets of the greater society. The closed in markets in which their money only benefited themselves was a form of cartel/monopoly, and like all monopolies it made them wealthy to the exclusion of others. But legal, systemic racism prevented them from leveraging that limited, community-level success and power into a nation-wide economic and political freedom.

So even though forced segregation was bad, it was still better than Integration (see: Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, etc.), which is clearly an evil tactic designed to strip you of power. Segregation, particularly when it is voluntary, is a self-empowerment/wealth-building tool towards actual freedom. ANYONE telling you that segregation is somehow inherently wrong and "should never be an option" is either an agent of your enemy, or the devil itself.

To be clear, forced segregation conditions inflicted by an active enemy who wants you to function as a subjugated second class underneath him is one thing. That's definitely BAD. Evil. Other the other hand you have the deliberate, voluntary choosing of segregation -- without any outside force restrictions within it ("desegregation") -- that is used as a wealth-building tool to improve the quality of life of the given special interest group community as a whole. That is a GOOD, virtuous, and genuinely smart choice.

Muhammad Rasheed - I swear my allegiance to Allah, who is no less than the One God of Abraham. It is He who created Adam from scratch, who told Noah to build the ark, who commanded Moses to remove his sandals on holy ground, who delivered the Christ Jesus from his enemies, and anointed Muhammad as the Seal of the Prophethood! Glory be to He! In His name did the believers of olde draw swords in defense of their right to worship the One God as was their duty! I will do no less as I am true in faith and freedom is my birthright! How could it not be as I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger!

The Euro-ethnic has a tendency to vilify anything he perceives as a threat to his global dominance. The “Muslim World” is a villain because those nations have dared resist Euro-Imperialist subjugation, and you fear that they will somehow regroup and pick up the legendary expansionism of the Faith’s early history where they left off, and manage to overcome you. In addition, you fear that this nightmare scenario will provide an opportunity for the frequently pro-Islamic Black American… who has been the traditional face of the Euro-ethnic’s savage atrocities… to take a long overdue revenge for wrongs both old and new out of your oily hides. The root cause of your vilification of Islam is the fear you will lose your precious monopoly of power that you have conquered and slaughtered so many to attain. As a Black American Muslim I watch you squirm under the fear of this karmic nightmare scenario with interest, having culturally borne witness to your historical wrongs from my dual identity. So when I mix ‘race’ with ‘religion’ in these posts from a seemingly similar place, it’s only because my vision penetrates you deep from two directions at once.Bakkah Rasheed-Shabazz - Teach!Dee Anne Moore - Mu....as an old white woman who grew up watching the swirling and dancing of philosophies that religions are molded from, I found my own awakening when I began to study and learn from Joseph Campbell as he explored others' beliefs and rituals far beyond those spawned and practiced in the middle east...the three Abrahamic beliefs...Judaism, Christianity and Islam...all branches of the same tree.
The world is much larger and always has been. Just because the aggressiveness of the middle east spread the Abrahamic beliefs, does not mean that there have always been and will continue to be other interpretations of our existence on this incredible, tiny orb drifting in the vastness of space. I see religion as being a person's own need to simplify a desire to understand why we are... I have experienced many 'mysteries' that seem real vibrant. For those who need an explanation for these life events that are wondrous and mystical, I except that need to be theirs and for them, urgent. It would seem that a great preponderance of humanity needs clear, simplification of the whys and how s and who's... and for many, perhaps even most homo sapiens, this is true. Cults and beliefs are universally embraced among cultures.
Some of the 'beliefs' seem beautiful and harmless while some are grotesque and do great harm.
The population of the planet is ever expanding and so are the hard held beliefs that are part of various groups.
The expansion seems to result in collisions that seem not to make any real sense because none of these beliefs are able to be proven...They are believed by 'faith'... which is a personal agreement that what one believes is valid..

You are part of a beautiful family with strong beliefs. I have come to appreciate and admire the love and kindness that you all express. Regardless of any differences in our 'personal' beliefs or non-beliefs, I am happy to be within the friendship circle... My daughter photographed this beautiful Monarch feeding upon a Milkweed plant... Living in the moment..
I would choose to be in the moment as well...

Muhammad Rasheed - Are you trying to calm me down from battle mode using butterfly pics and rambling free-style poetry...?

Dee Anne Moore - Well, yeh...sorta!!

Dee Anne Moore -

Dee Anne Moore - and a soothing song!Muhammad Rasheed - Stop. War is more cleansing than putting up with continuing race-based abuses, and sticking my head in the sand for another few centuries.

Dee Anne Moore - But creating an aura of neutrality...well, it can neutralize the effect of the race baiting... Bill Reed is on fire right now ...he is rightly and justifiably enraged by the police assassinations of people who are black in our society...
Mu, I am friends of a young black man who has been in prison for many years ...since his teens ...(He's in for life which is a step down from his original sentence of execution for being involved in a murder that he did not actually pull the trigger...)
My good friends (one is a retired minister of the Unitarian Universal Church and the other is my 'sister' from another mother and father..his wife) have ministered and befriend him and his family over the years.. I met him through them. When I was pres. of the Indy peace group we published a paper and a few times, I was able to publish some of his writing in that paper.
I would like to share a new writing he put on face book. His name is Phillip Stroud... I hope you might enjoy reading.. (btw...the butterfly and the milkweed are both expressions of life's longing to exist... a powerful statement..elegant and simple.. Their life seems brief but 'briefness' is relative...

Here is Phillip's latest offering... I hope you appreciate what this one young person's life is worth..

Phillip Stroud with Zolo Azania and 91 others.March 20

A Letter to My Thirteen-Year-Old Self

"Dear Phil,This is yourself writing to you from the future. Please listen very carefully to what I’m about to say. Right now, you are headed nowhere fast. Skippin’ school, getting’ high and drunk, runnin’ the streets for days, sometimes weeks at a time, in and out of juvenile detention, gang bangin’, and slangin’ crack cocaine. You’re thirteen years old right now, but in ten years, you’ll be in a cold empty cell on Indiana’s death row, facing execution by lethal injection.Three years after that, you’ll be on lockdown at a maximum-security prison, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a crime that you didn't commit.I know that your father has been in and out of prison your entire life and you two don’t have any type of relationship. That’s NOT your fault, so please stop blaming yourself! He ‘bout to get out real soon and this time he gone stay out, because he wants to save you from yourself. He don’t want you to get killed on the streets like so many of your dawgs have already. Forgive him for not being there when you were a little boy. Listen to him and spend as much time as you can with him because he ain’t got long to live.His daughter, your little sister, may not live in the same home as you and your little brother, but she IS YOUR SISTER! Family is everything! Get to know her, and treat her like the princess that she is. Listen to her. Protect her. Don’t you ever hurt her or allow anyone else to hurt her.Please spend more time with your little brother—he needs you and looks up to you. Don’t be jealous just because his pops ain’t locked up and comes around every blue moon. I know that you still like playing Contra and Mike Tyson’s Punchout with him on Nintendo. And y’all used to always watch Thunder Cats and all the other good cartoons on Saturday mornings until you decided to start leaving him at home alone so that you could chase girls and hang wit your homies. Nobody wants to feel like their brother doesn’t care about them, and you’ll feel the same way that he feels right now if you don’t give him the love and attention that he wants, needs, and deserves. Your little brother should be your best friend and your sidekick. Make it happen!I know that you don’t like being at the crib because Ma’s boyfriends and her husband ain’t nothin’ but snakes, in your opinion. You think that she loves your dope fiend stepdad more than she loves you. It makes you feel like you ain’t good enough, like you’re invisible. Man, you and your brother matter more to your mother than you understand, more than you realize, more than you believe. She loves you more than ANYTHING or ANYBODY else in this world! It’s just hard for her to express it all the time because she’s caught up in a cycle of abuse with a man that she’s in love with. He’s in a lot of pain and she’s trying to save him from the same drugs that you’re out there selling. Speaking of selling drugs—PLEASE STOP NOW!—as in right now! Because if you don’t, you’re gonna end up with fifty more years in prison for selling 1.5 grams of crack cocaine to an undercover cop within 1000 yards of a school that was closed for the summer. This sh*t is real out here! Trust me, I know.Some days you wake up and it feels like a dark heavy cloud has you pinned down and won’t let you get out of bed, so you just give up and sleep the day away. That’s called depression. That cloud will only get darker and heavier, so let somebody know what’s goin’ on. You don’t have to be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. It doesn’t make you weak, just like jumpin’ on strangers who come thru the hood, or bullying and teasing kids at school doesn’t make you strong. Remember how kids in elementary school teased you for having holes in your shoes and laughed at your socks sticking out the front of them? They called you nappy head and pig nose. I know that it hurts you to hear me say that to you now, just like it hurt me to hear it back then. Words DO hurt, so stop treating other kids how you were treated. You, those kids, and most of our parents have been taught to believe that everything about being “black” is bad, including—no, ESPECIALLY—how we look. That is a lie! The truth is: You are really a prince with the spirit of a warrior and the mind of an architect. Phil, you are so talented! You can flow just as good, if not better than your favorite rappers! You can draw, dance, cut hair, and you’re funny. On top of all that, you’re smart as h*ll. Remember how fun it was to be a part of the Quiz Bowl team when you were in the 5th grade? That’s who you really are! You’re a natural born leader but you don’t have the courage to lead people in the right direction. You’re just following the crowd, goin’ with the flow, tryin’ to be everybody but yourself. You’re better than that.Dude, your uncle is a lawyer, and he came from the same family and the same hood as you. Working hard for the things that you want and going to school doesn’t make you a sellout or mean that you’re trying to “act white.” Let him guide you and teach you how to be a real man. And when you’re blessed to become a husband and father, give all the love that you have inside you, because love is shown more than it is spoken. You feel me? Someone once said, “The greatest ability is availability,” so be there for your family and friends. And love what you do. Life is hard, but it’s still worth living. Life is not to be taken or wasted—it is precious! Never forget that. I love you."

Muhammad Rasheed - "But creating an aura of neutrality...well, it can neutralize the effect of the race baiting..."

Do you believe such an 'aura' would have prevented that kid from spending those years in prison, or prevent Jeff Sessions' efforts to make sure he and like kinds rot in there?

Only a righteous anger fueled physical war will fix it, Dee. Every other method has been tried, and they counter by doubling down on their evil. People like that only respond to seeing their own blood soak into the dirt.

Dee Anne Moore - Sometimes I think I have more faith in love and the power of the unseen than any of my friends who profess faith in the unseen. The butterfly will die.. it will simply travel thousands of miles...mate, lay eggs, and die... We know that is not the end of the story...but for that one adult butterfly...that came into being through a complete cycle..it is the point where it will leave the 'being' and become part of the earth or another creature's lunch..
Like a song that is heard...touches one's heart...causes a swelling of emotion ...but the sound moves off and dissipates...is gone...
The child huddled in the dust of the bombed building ...bombed by someone who sits in judgement, hand able to execute the mission and drop the bomb and move along..like the song....an evil song that no matter who it is intended to be sung for..no matter who it is supposed to hurt or help...it helps no one. and the child stays trembling and huddling in the dust and debris sobbing for a mother or brother or father or sister that is no longer..
At this point in my 'poetry' Mu, the swelling in my throat and the knot in my stomach reminds me that along with my love...is a visceral hatred of my species...Will the innocent child grow to love and give to life or will it grow with hatred and wish to use violence and pain to make its own pain stop...
Neutrality is a safe zone ...that is available for those of us with the luxury of being able to keep at a distance from the dust and debris physically...
It is a choice to preserve sanity... From an emotional distance that affords the ability to think through..to remember that there is a cycle..an unspoken order...that the order is out of balance and what will it take to restore order. Was there ever order Mu? Is it possible that we are such a flawed species..with all the ability but little of the knowing?
Having a choice is a luxury in this world.
If our essence travels beyond our being as the sound of the song...longer after the singer is gone..long after the dust settles and the child's crying is carried off into the wind... long after the earth is just another cinder in the dark void...
Could, perhaps, the sounds of love and hope be the essence of a new world to be?
Or will the sounds of anger and violence be the building energy of the next ...?
Phillip described what could have kept him from being a 'lifer' in prison...he became a victim of the stronger voices of violence of the streets... That is why I choose to try and keep the voice of love stronger... Perhaps with the help of others, his healing has given him a healing voice..and perhaps his healing voice will reach another child who then will validate Phillip's power to change...by making the changes in others.. Powerful....like the cycle of the Monarch...Muhammad Rasheed - Dee wrote: "Sometimes I think I have more faith in love and the power of the unseen than any of my friends who profess faith in the unseen."

You're being silly. God has very specific instructions for how humans are to treat each other, and how to deal with those who have completely given over to their lusts to the detriment of others is indeed a part of that instruction.

Naturally I would expect you to be more merciful to your own kind, but they are the ones who have waged war upon me for money, and lack your compassion for me. 500 years later, i find your efforts to get me to soften my heart for my dedicated enemy to be out of line, ma'am.

Stand down.

Dee Anne Moore - "Naturally I would expect you to be more merciful to your own kind, but they are the ones who have waged war upon me for money, and lack your compassion for me."

I cannot believe that you from what I have written you deduced that I actually have any sympathy for what is the true history of the white man. My own kind??? What is my own kind Muhammad? I try to find heroes and villains. It is easy to break it down to the European whites and their constant greed and quest for power and wealth. I very well know the history of this country...of how the wealth and power was built on the backs of and at the expense of the African who was brought here in shackles...bought and sold and bred like livestock.. I look around and know that the capitalist system that is embraced by so many is protected by those who created it ...and for the purpose of sustaining their own.... I will not excuse any actions that did or do create the inequality that permeates this world. I know the score... Know it well Mu.
With the help of the media and the organizations I have been part of for the past 40 years ...the friends and acquaintances that bring the world from afar to us... to the streets that I know well.. the prejudice and bigotry...racist rants and unbearably evil the unjust laws that are still trying to make slavery legal... post the 1860's...peonage... still... even look at stupid laws like jay-walking... Who actually thinks that is not a racist carry over to fill the white man's for profit prison.. I know Muhammed and I do not give mercy to the white man. I am not blind to the reality that being born white is being privileged. ...that being anything in this world other than being white and Christian is a disadvantage in the eyes of the whites.. I is like not ever being able to have membership in a club because you are either white or a club because you are not white..
I want a better world for your children...for you my grandchildren...I know that my desire to be accepted will fall on deaf ears ...that being of the 'manor born'... no matter how aware..no matter how many years I spend caring and helping and trying.. it will not wash the white from me in the eyes of those who are not white...except for my family members who are black or Latino...
I must sound naive because I do not think there is a big ethnic club that awaits us after we die and we all are sorted and labeled and sent off to the group that we resembled when we were human beings.

Dee Anne Moore -I am afraid of violent revolution. I see no where...anywhere that give evidence that life was made better by violence. On the other hand, I don't see much evidence that Mohandas Gandhi's world has sustained peace either. Your Mom is tireless. Being a woman myself, I find her inspirational...

Muhammad Rasheed - Dee Anne Moore wrote: "I cannot believe that you from what I have written you deduced that I actually have any sympathy for what is the true history of the white man."

How else am I to take that? You're trying to calm me down, and turn me away from literally the only thing that will stop the diabolical Monster of Legend from continuing his subjugation/terrorizing/exploitation of my people. There is way too much money on the table for him to stop on his own. Do you like me forced into the role of his slave? Do you enjoy watching his White Supremacist goons kill me just because they have the State-sanctioned authority to do so? No? Then turn away as I fight, please. Turn your face away lest the creature's blood splashes into your eyes.

Dee Anne Moore wrote: "I am afraid of violent revolution."

Fear Allah instead, and fight in His cause to cleanse the earth of evil and restore Peace. Do this in God's Name and you will have no need to fear, nor shall you grieve. A promise from the Lord of the worlds.

Dee Anne Moore wrote: "anywhere that give evidence that life was made better by violence"

The prophet Muhammad and the early Muslim community were relentlessly assaulted by the pagan Meccans who desperately sought to wipe the believers off the map because they feared the growing monotheism message would cause a drop in their pilgrimage revenue if it caught on. They also refused to listen to reason and only their blood purified the land and MADE IT BETTER. #TheLessonsOfHistory

Dee Anne Moore - @Mu... Can you visualize what this world is supposed to look like as a result of a global 'revolution'...? Will there be 'winners and losers'...or some sort of peaceful co-existence whereby all can exercise freely their beliefs?
Please describe for me the vision you hold?

Muhammad Rasheed - Currently the players are The Bad Guy and his victims. The goal of the revolution is to topple The Bad Guy from power -- SMASH him so that he is unable to recover, to live in cowering hiding spots for at least the same amount of time he terrorized the globe (assuming he manages to survive the smashing at all) -- and for the victims to rebuild in peace. They will build a new world with the memory of what The Bad Guy did as a warning to all, with laws put in place to guard against such evil ever returning.

Friday, June 23, 2017

I notice that you only pull out your Big Guns of Righteous Outrage™ whenever something worthlessly harmless happens, like when some racist jackass says the word "nlgger", or some other ignorant racist twat suggests that you only dominate in sports because you were bred that way in slavery. Oddly you never get that furious in the face of real and blatant racism, but instead cower and whimper... "I'm so tired! Please let's stop sharing these videos. Let's just stop talking about this and rest. It stings my feels so bad." Who isn't aware of "Sticks & stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?" How do you get that backwards? It's embarrassing. I'm going to need you to reverse the order of these responses, and stop demonstrating to the whole world that you are soft as cake, and you've gotten into the habit of allowing your dedicated enemy to push you around anytime he wants. Stop it.

I realize that being a soldier isn't for everyone, but you can at least stop being an impotent wet noodle, shuffling around avoiding the enemy's gaze, yes?

Monday, June 19, 2017

Ron Wiseman - Who will you supposedly support in the 2020 US presidential election? Do you know?

This might blow your mind. I really am hoping that the Democratic party will regain my affiliation—I left the party (#DemExit) over Hillary Clinton cheating Bernie Sanders out of the nomination. If Bernie runs, of course I’ll support him, I wouldn’t care if he’s 100 years old. Otherwise...

I’d like to support Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) for the Democratic nomination.

Muhammad Rasheed - To be fair, Hillary didn’t “cheat” Sanders. He was an outsider that tried to usurp their party for his own agenda (the same way Ron Paul tried to usurp the GOP back in 2008) and they fought back. They had a right to defend against a hostile takeover.

Bernie is a Democrat the same way Patrick Leahy is a Democrat. Neither of them are registered Democrats because in Vermont there’s no party registration. Both of them “caucus” with the Democrats and both of them support and raise funds for Democrats in the same way. They both vote the same pretty much all the time.

The only difference is that Leahy describes himself as a Democrat and Sanders describes himself as an independent, but that’s the only difference.

I agree that the DNC could have denied Sanders the nomination—it was their right to do that. But they gave him permission to run as a Democrat and they told us all it would be a fair and evenhanded process. Based on that, we donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Sanders campaign.

The DNC rigged the system while taking our money. That’s fraud by every legal definition.

Muhammad Rasheed - Ron, you wasted 159 words just to admit what I said was true: Sanders did NOT consider himself a Democrat. He was a manipulative outsider who attempted — like Ron Paul before him — to usurp the party for his own agenda. Nice try using the actual proudly self-proclaimed Democrat Leahy as a flashy deception tool to wave around in my face though, and all while charging others of cheating. You must be of Russian stock, wot? ;)

Friday, June 16, 2017

In early June of 1997, in what now seems like a forever ago, I remember actively solving a problem. In my first, humble but official ‘art job’ after college I found myself struggling to capture the likeness of beautiful women.

As a new Kaman’s Art Shoppes caricature artist working at Cedar Point Amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, I had already completed the 2-week orientation/training, and was actually doing pretty well pulling customers and getting back positive feedback. Except for that one thing:

“Do you think THAT looks like me? I don’t think that looks like me.”“Oh, I’m not paying for that. You weren’t even looking at me.”“Uhhh… who is THAT supposed to be???”

My issue was that I would go into a google-eyed, quasi-drooling daze whenever a beautiful woman would sit in my customer seat, like I was a sex-starved nerd in one of those teen exploitation movies like Porkies, or American Pie. Naturally this would prevent me from focusing in on the technical structure of the face necessary for achieving anything like the “likeness” needed for a successful cartoon portrait. It was also causing a significant blow to my artistic ego.

Fortunately there was an easy fix. All I had to do was draw a lot of beautiful women until I would get used to the feeling, and eventually get past the stomach butterflies or whatever. Or better yet, target one particular beautiful woman and convince her to allow me to draw her a million times until I’d worked pass the artist’s block.

I knew just the one I wanted to ask.

Kaman’s Art Shoppes kept us in the park in company-provided housing. The dormitory I stayed in (the name of it has long since left me), had a security desk that required all who entered to scan in their employee identification card. Often manning the desk during the night shift, there was this gorgeous young woman who always took my breath away. She kept her hair in a small, ponytail/bun, was around 5’ 6”, had this smoldering, almond-eyed stare when she was annoyed, and also had the reputation as “The Mean Girl.”

I had borne witness to this so-called “mean” once or twice before. So I was not intimidated by THAT part. I had “mean” people in my circles after-all, and they have always been nice and reasonable people if you weren’t messing up their work areas and stuff. Once when tasked to keep order during the obligatory fire drill, she was extremely no-nonsense, and refused to allow tomfoolery and shenanigans on HER watch. With her arms folded and eyes flashing, she generously dispensed razor sharp retorts and humbling sarcasm to all who supplied dumb questions and pushback. I watched fascinated, and noted that though she was obviously irritated, she still kept her composure, and successfully met mission. Another time there was an unusually long line of people coming into the dorm (or maybe it was just my first time experiencing the evening rush…?) and she was one of two desk security staff making sure all those ID badges got scanned. The line was moving quickly, and I found myself straining to catch her name on her own badge…

"Hey! I said, ‘Next!’”

Oops! That was me. I handed her my badge and smiled at her. She smiled back and her eyes softened. I knew then that she wasn’t mean; that’s just what the immature and lazy called people who took their jobs seriously (“Cmon, man! Loosen UP! Let me get away with XYZ just this once.”).

One day, I got up determined to ask her to be my training partner to help me work out this problem. I grabbed a pencil, my trusty sketchbook, and made my way to the lobby. On the way to the front desk I chickened out, and decided to sit off to the side and sketch her in a perfect imitation of a serial caricaturist stalker creep. Fortunately, this cowardly scheme failed, as she was too far away to get the details of her face I needed for any serious drawings, and I caught her eye often enough to regain the courage I had when I first got out of bed.

Alright. I walked over to the front desk to catch her in mid-comedic banter with Tom, her co-nightshift security partner. They responded to my “Hi,” and then neatly folded me into their banter, each jokingly asking me to ‘Amen’ their quick-witted ribbing of the other. I took advantage of the moment to enjoy her in a relaxed state, flashing her gorgeous smile while the two of them simultaneously played “Go Fish!” with a deck of Tom’s novelty cards. During a break in their dialogue, I formerly introduced myself, and finally got her name.

“Katina.”

Was a prettier name ever uttered? I doubt it. Not in THAT moment, surely.

Amused, Katina listened to my spiel, and agreed to allow me to sketch her. Her composure changed noticeably, as she took on what I imagine she considered her “model look.” Complete with a ‘bedroom eyes’ accessory, she did a great job in my humble opinion. Whatever little rudimentary crush I had developed by that time was now a raging fire of head-over-heels super crush.

I drew several sketches of her over about 12 pages in the next hour. She provided the same disappointed feedback of my previous beautiful victims, and I had to remind her of the whole reason for this late night drawing assignment in the first place. She conceded with a smile and an apology, and then a remarkable thing happened. We spent the next three hours of her shift talking… wait, was it just “talking?” No. We CONJURED up a magical friendship that lasted until the end of her life. That night I was so inspired by her intelligence, the expressed assurance of career plans for her future, and everything about her. It was obvious to me that on that night, I was in the presence of true greatness. As I became her closest confidant all the way until 2009, when circumstances necessarily required boundaries on our precious friendship, I genuinely looked forward to seeing her in her fully-realized state of awesome. I wasn’t the only one who felt that way about Katina, as she shared the details of the praise her other dear friends heaped upon her, especially her Slippery Rock University alma mater crew.

In the end though, I’m not sure she really felt that way about herself.

We lost Katina Maria Clayborn suddenly to breast cancer on 14 May 2017 at only 43 years old. It is a terrible and very sad thing.

Beyond the pain of her death, there was also the pain of witnessing her beat up on herself, and paralyze herself into inactivity based on a desperate over-analysis of her plans. She spent the majority of her adult life fretting and pessimistic, in shocking contrast to the confident and self-assured superstar I met at Cedar Point. Perhaps she was TOO good at selling people on her talents and capabilities, to the point that our expectations of her had become a form of idolatry? If so, then this was of course a situation that she could not possibly live up to, which quickly broke her from the supernatural pressure.

I truly loved Katina Clayborn with all my heart – and in addition to many other things – I wish she could have lived the life she wanted to live in her ultimate vision before she passed away. Her story is a lesson for us all. Fretting, second guessing oneself, not taking chances based on what MIGHT happen, etc., isn't worth playing with since none of us is promised tomorrow. Go hard and burn bright while we are here. Otherwise, what are we doing? Fear is just a tool, not a road block.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

American Women are not only the MOST super gorgeous in the world, but the sheer amount of hatertude they receive from their rivals is as legendary as it is comically sad.

American Women are looked at with mock-disdain and over-the-top disrespect, but all the while it is their beauty, swag, and style that are mined/stolen by the world’s industries.

Even when American Women try the styles of others, they create a whole new standard, and blow everyone else away. Afterwards you can ONLY see the American Women’s version!

American Women are very diverse, as you can see here within my own family’s example (wife & 2 daughters):

From button cute, to fresh-faced pretty, to the irresistible sexy swag of the seasoned tigress, American Women have it ALL.

Bahram Amiri - Good answer , but why did you neglect whiter skinned American women ?

Muhammad Rasheed - I didn’t “neglect” them since I focused on the ones most beautiful to me personally. Why do you care since white-skinned people are well represented in the other 81 Answers. They don’t need my help or interest, so why is it bothering you that they don’t have yet another prominent spot within my own listing? Tell me.

Dolu Divine - Omg ikr!!Rafay Khawaja - Very biased answer.

Muhammad Rasheed - bias - inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be unfair.

I do have an inclination towards the women of my own group. Very much so. lol Thank you for your amazingly astute observation, genius.

Rafay Khawaja -This is why beauty is in the eye of the beholder is a bogus statement.

Realistically western European women are the prettiest women in the world. As per several different rankings.

Muhammad Rasheed - “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” isn’t a bogus statement, but it is tainted by many toxic societal traits that disrupt the purity of the statement. You are from a culture that has been conquered by Europeans in the recent past, indoctrinating you with an severely unhealthy idea that European beauty standards are inherently better than your own. I pray that the sad psychological damage your embarrassing confession has reveal will eventually heal so that you may know at least a modicum of peace.

Rafay Khawaja - But I haven't. You're assuming things, lol.

I was born and raised in canada, both my parents were too. You saw my skin color and assumed that is why I was biased. Literally no ranking or measurement has ever put American women at number one, especially black women.

Also, Pakistan was never conquered by Europeans, lol.

Your answer just reeks of bitterness and frustration (and most likely jealousy) which is why it's biased.

Basically every ranking puts European women, especially Swedish women at the very top. Generations of clean water, healthy food, and a willingness to breed with other races has rendered Europeans significantly better looking than the rest of the world. Africans are extremely culture driven and will almost always marry in their own race and have had generations of poor food and eating practices. Plus, due to the ease with which they are conquered or affected by colonization (due to the primitive nature of Africa) it has reduced the likelihood of a higher quality of living.

Symmetry of the face and proportion of lips and noses will always be prettier.

And it's not say that African women are not pretty. Some of the prettiest women are from Algeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

So because I didn’t name the type of woman you’ve been proudly brainwashed into lusting after, it means I didn’t answer the question at all, huh? smh

Rafay wrote: "You saw my skin color and assumed that is why I was biased."

Not so. You revealed your anti-Black psychological damage by way of what you typed in this thread.

Rafay wrote: "Literally no ranking or measurement..."

...means anything at all in a civilization dominated by the maintainers of the White Supremacist Ideology who have taken pains to force their European beauty standards on a subjugated populace for centuries.

Rafay wrote: "Also, Pakistan was never conquered by Europeans, lol."

1) "The gradual decline of the Mughal Empire in the early 18th century enabled the Sikh Empire to control larger areas until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia."

2) "A rebellion in 1857 called the Sepoy mutiny of Bengal was the region's major armed struggle against the British Empire and Queen Victoria."

3) "The independence movement attained its objective with the independence of Pakistan and India on 14 and 15 August 1947 respectively."

SOURCES: Heitzman, J., Worden, R. L. & Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1996) India: A Country Study. [Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/96019266/.

Moss, Peter (1999) Oxford History for Pakistan, a revised and expanded version of Oxford History Project Book Three Oxford: Oxford University Press.

So your name is Rafay Khawaja, and your cultural heritage is Indian, yet your family left there and fully assimilated into a Western nation, where they not only completely forgot the history of their birth land, but have allowed you to be fully indoctrinated in European beauty standards to genuinely believe the 'white woman' is the prettiest in the world over your OWN women. That's extremely sad and pathetic. Truly.

Rafay wrote: "Your atrack on my race..."

Not once have I attacked your race.

Rafay wrote: "America is the second most diverse country in the world and you only put one race."

I depicted the most beautiful race in the melting pot. Logic dictates they can't ALL be the prettiest. Note that if I had chosen all white women instead, you would have scrolled on pass my Answer without a blink.

Rafay Khawaja - Your answer is quite emotional and somewhat wrong and you assume that if someone disagrees with you they are attacking blacks. You wear your race on your sleeves, sadly.

Every poll would say you are wrong. Global rankings regularly rank Russian, Swedish, and Venezuelan women as the prettiest.

If you had started your answer with “this is my version of beauty” I'd have skipped past it.

You haven't evolved to look past your race. Pakistan has caused thousands of issues in the world and is a known propogate of wahhabism and salafism. Am I supposed to let these things pass because I'm Pakistani? No. I can't defend Islam or the Pakistani people. Bias would be if I turned a blind eye to these atrocities. Plus, when I go to Pakistan they have an extreme bias. For them, the reality is that Pakistani women are a lot prettier than the average women. Just because I am from a country, does not mean I have to find those women gorgeous. That doesn't mean some childish conspiracy exists where whites control the world and create an image for beauty. Toddlers have pointed out what they found beautiful and it was rarely in alignment with your biased answer.

Plus, Pakistani women are absolutely gorgeous. But, the ones who are truly pretty are from the kashmir area or are of mixed heritage.

In relation your answer…Michelle Obama is charismatic at best, but she has extremely masculine future. I will never question here extreme intelligence, but that usually is a byproduct of being less than aesthetically pleasing. Society expects less from attractive people.

And again you assume, you are so upset and traumatized that you assume I'll just scroll past your answer if it had all whites in it. Wrong again.

Now you are calling me sad and pathetic, so you have basically debased to insulting me due to your bias and me not agreeing with it. So, I'm just going to leave at that. I feel no need to interact with people who insult others.

Muhammad Rasheed - Rafay wrote: “If you had started your answer with “’this is my version of beauty’ I'd have skipped past it.”

I’m not interested in your opinion of this topic. I think it’s toxic and a diabolical symptom of the major wrong that’s been inflicted upon the world.

I’m not surprised that you didn’t understand my response, and started throwing off and projecting at me again from your white supremacist brainwashing (that you somehow believe is being “evolved”). I’m no therapist and I can’t pretend I can fix you just by my expressing complete disgust (in EVERY way) with your mentality about this topic. I pray that any kids you have are eventually able to break this curse you are afflicted with.

Egi Vila - Im sorry, but why did you only show Black women? American Women consists of many other races and ethnicities.

Muhammad Rasheed - I don’t consider ALL American Women to be beautiful from my subjective view point. As diverse as the country is, that would not be realistic. I posted the images of women that were of the apex of beauty to me. If you feel other types of women are more beautiful then when you answer the question, please feel free to post the images of those you prefer. I don’t understand why you are confused by this.

Egi Vila - The question refered to what country has the most beautiful women, you said American women which consists of a lot more races and ethnicities then black. The question didn’t ask others what race or ethnicity has the most beautiful women. If i would say Russia, I would put all ethnicities and races of women in Russia. Your answer was very biased and also incorrect.

Muhammad Rasheed - My answer is very correct. The most beautiful women in the world are found in the USA, as the samples I posted demonstrated. Women happen to be represented within the categories of “race” and “ethnicity” it turns out, so you may notice that all of the Quora Answers to this question provide women of certain races and ethnic groups. :)

Tell me, if I had avoided the American races and ethnic groups that you yourself dislike when I made my choice, would you magically consider my post “fair” then?

Egi Vila - I don’t dislike any races or ethnicities, but you should have refered to them as African-American women if you want to use pictures of them only. American women are very diverse, they do not consist of only black women.

Muhammad Rasheed - No, I should not have. These are ALL American women, therefore, my post is correct. I posted images of the American women who are at the apex of the beauty spectrum from my own viewpoint. When you answer the question you may post women who fit your own subjective viewpoint as well. Please have fun while doing so. Perhaps I will take the time to admonish you on not conforming your Answer to what I subjectively feel is “correct” based on my own personal opinions the way you are doing here. ;)

Egi Vila - Ok then lets agree to disagree.

Muhammad Rasheed - I am using this forum – that actually asks me my personal opinion on which nation has the most beautiful women – to celebrate the women I genuinely believe are the most beautiful in the world. You coming here to tell me my opinion is wrong offends me mightily, especially considering the women of my ethnic group are the most unfairly disrespected in the entire world. I can not help but read a nefarious, anti-Black Woman purpose into your actions. I do not respect your opinion on this topic, as it leaves an impression of villainy on me. Please improve. Thank you.

Egi Vila - The original question I asked was, why did you only put black women images when you said American women. I didn’t know that other people referred to only one ethnicity or race when they said they liked women from a particular country. I would have had zero problems if you put different ethnicities because there are different ethnicities in America. I have nothing against black women. I would have asked the same question even if you put only white women, Asian women, Hispanic women etc. Please stop trying to make everything about race.

Muhammad Rasheed - You are making this about race. lol I posted the images of the American women I felt best represented the beauty of the USA’s female population, and your inner racist erupted over it.

Your problem is something YOU need to work out for yourself. Have fun with that.

Bahram Amiri - Because you used Americans and Americans don't mean the black ones. It was fair to make your answer non-biased. I didn't check other answers. If they only represented specific Americans, then they were biased too.

I don't know , maybe you're right by doing the same.

Muhammad Rasheed - “Maybe?” lol

Since all the samples I used ARE Americans, I don’t understand the problem you believe you see. Did you wish me to post pictures of all 150 million American women so my post would be artificially “fair?” lol Please be reasonable.

I’m still thinking about this comment. Are you saying you think that native-born Blacks in the United States of America are somehow NOT US citizens? Please explain the true message of your comment and presence in this thread.

About Me

"I see the world as a multi-layered, encrypted message—encrypted for countless reasons, by numerous sources. I believe our job as actively-engaged humans is to decode these messages for our own use and to document them for the greater body of human literature at the means each individual has at hand. As an artist—specifically, a cartoonist—that is the means/medium I use for my own decoding duties. Through my research, I use logic, reason and intellect to intuitively follow the knowledge thread that intrigues me, connecting the dots from pattern recognition, and producing the cartoons that form my socio-political analysis."